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The Bookie
Joe Friday and Bill Gannon go undercover with the chaplain to bust a bookie and shut down his operation. Story Act 1 Friday and Gannon are working out of Administrative Vice in this story, and Gannon invites Joe over for breakfast at the Legion Hall. It is here they meet William Riddle, the LAPD's chaplain. After giving the prayer the three of them return to headquarters to get their assignment. Captain Nelson calls each of them into his office. Friday and Gannon there learn that aside from his duties as the Department Chaplain, Riddle is also an Administrative Vice detective and has an impressive record of arrests as such. A bookie named Westerfeld is operating out North Hollywood and frequents a bar named Domino Bar and Grill in North Hollywood. Captain Nelson wants the three of them to go undercover and shut him down. After the briefing the three sit in the squad room and get ready to set up the stakeout. Friday and Riddle will go in undercover, but Gannon will stay outside and investigate for clues at Westerfeld's, since he is very well known in North Hollywood and thus, he could get burned and have his cover blown. For the stakeout Friday and Riddle enter the bar under assumed names and make contact with Richard Clinger, the man they are investigating. Riddle and Friday talk to the bartender and he agrees to take them to the bookie but warns them that in California and in 21 states bookmaking is illegal. Act 2 Gannon picks them up but he did not see the bookie Westerfeld go into the back office. The clerk lives like a hermit and keeps switching liquor stores but did not pick up the scratch paper. Friday and Riddle head back to the bar and wait until last call. Angie comes over to their table and Friday attempts to get her to take him to where the bookie is but she refuses. Riddle goes outside to wait for Gannon and Friday watches the table as a drunk man comes in and sits down in the booth. Angie buys him coffee to sober him up as he takes his seat next to Friday. He identifies himself as Simmons. This is the guy they are after and Gannon runs his name once Friday leaves the bar. Clinger escorts the man out of the bar and Friday and Angie share a smoke. Angie gives Friday the information they need. The guy they are after is Barrows; this name is also ran when Friday leaves the bar. The next day Gannon tells Friday that Westerfeld and the clerk are going to plan a meeting with the patrons in the bar to exchange sheets and rig a horse race. The three of them need to get the phone number from Clinger so they can begin the operation. Act 3 Friday and Riddle go into the bar one last time to talk to Clinger and get the number from him. Clinger tells them that his little girl needs to have surgery to install a pacemaker, and he hands over the numbers so they can launch the operation. The next day they report to the chief and get ready to make the stakeout. Gannon goes to get the warrant and Riddle and Friday set up the game so when the first bet is placed they can take Westerfeld down. Friday and Riddle head to the back office and Friday kicks in the door. Simmons himself proves to be the clerk. Before they can arrest him he tries to burn the books (they are written on highly volatile "flash-paper") and Riddle has to knock the pages on the floor to prevent him from destroying them. Friday hands over the codes to Riddle, who calls the chief and has Westerfeld booked into custody. Friday and Riddle then head to the bar and arrest Clinger, and he is taken downtown. Westerfeld, Simmons, and Clinger are taken downtown and booked. Simmons is released with the other suspects and Westerfeld is placed in prison. But during the booking, it is discovered that Clinger's real name is Ross Clement, and thus, unlike the other seven men, he will not be released because he has an active warrant for counterfeiting and forgery in Pennsylvania and is scheduled to be extradited. Ross calls Friday and Riddle into the interview room at the jail and gives them the bad news. His little girl has died, and the donor did not arrive in time for the transplant. Since Riddle is the chaplain he makes arrangements to have the funeral and have the body flown back to Philly after it is examined. Ross says he has not been to church and is having problems finding a priest, asking if they can "find somebody to say the right words." Friday tells him, "We've got somebody." Then they escort him back to his cell. Sentencing Five of the men were found guilty of bookmaking and were released on bail after paying $250.000. Westerfeld was also found guilty for being the ringleader and was released after paying $500. Ross Clement, also known as Richard Clinger, was found guilty of bookmaking and the charges were dropped after he admitted to his crimes. Because he had an active warrant for counterfeiting and forgery, he was extradited to Pennsylvania where he had to serve time in the county jail in Philly. Guests This is a partial listing. * Ross Clement/Richard Clinger: Bobby Troup. * LAPD Chaplain/Administrative Vice Detective Officer William Riddle: William Reynolds. Remarks * The two most prominent guest stars on Dragnet 1967: "The Bookie" both pursue, or rather employ, dual identities. Bobby Troup's character, called Richard Clinger throughout most of the story, has the real name of Ross Clement (his alias was presumably improvised around his initials, as many people do when using aliases) and is a wanted counterfeiter-forger elsewhere in the United States; William Reynolds's character of William Riddle is both a priest and a cop--an administrative-vice detective in his case. * William Reynolds was also a cast member of The FBI, a Quinn Martin production, alongside Efrem Zimbalist Jr. and Phillip Abbott.